Lane Stadium has become one of the must-see college football stadiums in the fall. There is nothing better than a night game in Blacksburg or even a crisp fall Saturday afternoon watching football. Former players of other schools have spoken about how tough it is to play there.
However, apparently The Athletic doesn't think so.
In their stadium rankings, they ranked Lane Stadium at the very bottom, 25th, which seems like a slap in the face and disrespect. Tiger Stadium at LSU was ranked No. 1, which I can see, but Virginia Tech is the third ACC-ranked behind Clemson's Memorial Stadium, which was 13th, and Doak Campbell Stadium at Florida State was tied at 23rd with Kidd Brewer Stadium on the campus of Appalachian State.
Lane Stadium disrespected by The Athletic's stadium rankings
Just last year, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic ranked Lane Stadium the fifth toughest place in the country, but this year it took a steep dive in their poll. Looking at some of the schools and stadiums ranked ahead of them, Florida State? Really?
If there is one thing that you can say about Virginia Tech fans, it's that whether they are winning or losing, as we're finding out this year, Hokies' fans show up and support. The same can't always be said about FSU.
If there is a time when attendance at Lane Stadium could take a hit, it's this year, and some of the season leading up to and after Frank Beamer's retirement. Nobody would fault fans if they stayed away in protest about what Brent Pry has done with the program, and even Justin Fuente at the end of his tenure at Virginia Tech.
Instead, fans continue to show up, sell out Lane Stadium, and support the Hokies. That will be the case for the final three home games this season against California, Louisville, and Miami, in what is likely to be a season where one or two more wins may be all they achieve, if that.